Foundation management

The foundation's operations are managed on a daily basis
by our salaried CEO Katrin Kuusemäe, who works in co-operation
with Toivo Tänavsuu, the founder of the foundation and a member of
the board.

Decisions about support are made by the Council.
Volunteers from very different professions are of great assistance in
collecting donations.

Katrin Kuusemäe, who took up leadership of "The Gift
of Life" in March 2017, was born in Kohtla-Järve, went to school in Jõhvi
and lived in Rakvere. For a long time she managed the Cancer Screening
Foundation, which aimed to prevent cancer via screening, and organised the
Estonian Reform Party's administrative work in Ida-Viru and Lääne-Viru
counties.

Kuusemäe received her Master's degree in healthcare from
University of Tartu and is currently doing her PhD in healthcare management.
She will most likely defend her doctoral thesis on breast cancer in spring
2018.

"I have been sympathetic to the foundation's
activities ever since it was created. It was about time someone came up with
such a wonderful initiative in Estonia. What motivated me to apply for the
position of foundation's CEO was a chance to help those in need for real and do
something for our society. It is my purpose to make sure no Estonian cancer
patient is left without crucial help. I hope I can also shape Estonia's health
care policy through the foundation's activities," Katrin says.

In 2014 the daily activities of the foundation were
managed by Kersti Ringmets, who is currently on parental leave.

Kersti previously worked in the public sector as an
internal auditor.

"The charity field in Estonia is still developing, so
it’s a major challenge for me. Estonians do want to donate and help those who
are in difficult situations, but you have to create a simple and convenient way
for them to do so, which is the main task of the foundation – to bring together
those who need help and those who want to help. In addition to specific help
directed towards specific people I also see promoting charity and aware-raising
about cancer in Estonian society as our tasks. Charity and donating make us all
a little bit better people than we were yesterday," Kersti says.

Toivo Tänavsuu, the
founder of the foundation and a member of the board, assists the CEO and works
as a volunteer.

He has been working as a journalist since 2002, currently at Eesti Ekspress. He is a member of
the St Olaf congregation.

"My mother Hille battled cancer for more than seven
years. Even with her bad health she gained an extra year of life because she
agreed to a ridiculously expensive course of treatment – 5400 euros. The Health
Insurance Fund didn't consider covering it cost-effective, but thanks to
kind-hearted supporters my mother gained an extra year of life and saw the birth
of another grandchild. The foundation is the natural progression of her amazing
story.

My mother's fight is over now, but hundreds of people are
fighting the same problem around the country. We want to bring together warm
hearts to give an invaluable gift to those battling cancer – hope and
life," Toivo says.

Enter the
amount of your donation

The Hille
Tänavsuu cancer treatment foundation ‘The Gift of Life’ is on the list of
organisations that benefits from income tax incentives.

This means that you can apply for income tax to be refunded on every donation.
We forward your personal identification number and donation amount to the
Estonian Tax and Customs Board, which is then reflected on your pre-completed
tax return.

For companies, donations that form up to 5% of your profits from the last
financial year or 2% of your payroll subject to social tax for the current calendar
year (whichever you choose) meet the requirements of the income tax incentive
as well.

The foundation also forwards information on legal entities’ donations to the
Tax and Customs Board at the beginning of the subsequent financial year